Blydyn Square Books

Happy Hour
2024-01-11 17:00 - 18:00, 2024-03-07 17:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Online Event
Join Blydyn Square Books and the East Coast Arts and Literature League as we discuss books, art, music, or whatever comes up!

Let's Discuss The Midnight Library
2024-02-15 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
Join us to discuss Matt Haig’s novel The Midnight Library.

Let's Discuss Remarkably Bright Creatures
2024-04-11 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
Join us to discuss Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures.

Let's Discuss The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
2024-06-06 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
Join the Blydyn Square Book Club as we discuss James McBride’s The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store.

The Long Walk Home Fitness Challenge
2024-06-15 09:00 - 23:00 | Lakeside School, 111 Chestnut Ln, North Wales, PA 19454, 111 Chestnut Ln, North Wales, PA, 19454, United States
PLEASE NOTE: This event is being rescheduled. Instead of having a kickoff event on June 15 (which has proven to be a difficult date for most attendees, thanks to graduation/Father’s Day events), we’ll be hosting a closing event in September (official date to be announced). The Fitness Challenge will still go on throughout the summer, though, so please see the details below or on our announcements page.

See you soon!

In his debut memoir The Long Walk Home: How I Lost My Job as a Corporate Remora Fish and Rediscovered My Life’s Purpose, author James Brian Kerr tells the story of how he reacted to the news that he was about to lose his job of almost 30 years by walking home . . . 22 miles.

What started off as just a walk home from the office became a meditation and a transformative journey to self-discovery and a whole new life.

We challenge you to follow in Kerr’s footsteps and take your own “Long Walk Home.” It’s your chance to take a break from the “hamster-wheel” existence that so often rules our lives and get out for a meditative walk while raising money for charity: the Lakeside School in North Wales, Pennsylvania!

Although this will be an ongoing challenge you can do anytime (more details to come!), we hope you’ll join us for the kickoff event at the Lakeside School!

Let's Read The Latecomer
2024-08-15 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
Join the Blydyn Square Book Club to discuss The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz.

Let's Discuss The Razor's Edge
2024-10-03 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
Join the Blydyn Square Book Club to talk about Somerset Maugham’s novel The Razor’s Edge.

Happy Hour
2024-11-07 17:00 - 18:00 | Online Event
Join us for Happy Hour (virtually, on Zoom)! We’ll talk about books, writing, working with a small press, or whatever comes up. This event is cohosted by our sister organization, the nonprofit East Coast Arts & Literature League.

Book Launch for Jack the Pit Bull
2024-11-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event
Join us and author Taylor Evans for a virtual launch party celebrating the release of Jack the Pit Bull, our very first children’s picture book!

Let's Discuss Ask Again, Yes
2024-12-05 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
Join the Blydyn Square Book Club as we discuss Mary Beth Keane’s novel Ask Again, Yes.

2024 Reading Challenge
2024-12-31 17:00 - 23:59 | Online Event
Read 24 books for 2024! Use our list below as a suggestion or just read ANY 24 books and you’ll be eligible to win our annual prize. (We’ll give you credit for completing the challenge as long as you read at least 10 books!)
Just post your list of books here, on our Facebook page, or email us before midnight on December 31, 2024, and you’ll be entered into the drawing. Happy reading!

Happy Hour
2025-01-16 17:00 - 18:30 | Online Event
Join the authors and staff of Blydyn Square Books and members of the East Coast Arts & Literature League (ECALL) for a virtual happy hour. We’ll talk books, writing, art, creativity . . . or whatever comes up! Hope to see you there!

Let's Discuss The Teacher
2025-02-20 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
This time at Blydyn Square Book Club, we’ll be talking about Freida McFadden’s popular novel The Teacher. Hope to see you there!

Ask Me Anything with Editor in Chief Tara Tomczyk
2025-03-07 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event
As we get ready to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Blydyn Square Books, we’re giving readers and writers a unique opportunity to meet (via Zoom) with Tara Tomczyk, our editor in chief and founder, to discuss the publishing industry, writing tips, Blydyn Square’s vision for the future, or whatever comes up!

Let's Discuss I Who Have Never Known Men
2025-04-17 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
This month, we’re discussing Jacqueline Harpman’s novel I Who Have Never Known Men.

Author Chat with Mike Radice
2025-04-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event
Join us to celebrate the launch of our latest title, Glinda’s Ruby Slippers. Author Mike Radice will take questions from readers and tell us about the origins of the book, a historical novel based on the life of Billie Burke, who starred as Glinda the Good Witch in the iconic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
Here’s a brief summary of the book:
It’s 1939. The set of the soon-to-be-classic film The Wizard of Oz is alive with tension.
The demanding director has an explosive temper that threatens to erupt anytime something goes wrong.
The teenage star has a hauntingly beautiful voice, but her youth and naivete keep causing delays on an already pricey production.
In the midst of it all, aging starlet Billie Burke—wearing her ephemeral “Glinda the Good Witch” gown—watches everything unfold, hoping this movie will rejuvenate her sagging career . . . and perhaps help her hide a few secrets of her own.

Hope to see you there!

Happy Hour
2025-05-15 17:00 - 18:00 | Online Event
Bring the drink of your choice and join us as we chat about books and writing, art, music, theater, or whatever comes up! This event is co-sponsored by nonprofit arts organization ECALL (East Coast Arts & Literature League).

Let's Discuss No Two Persons
2025-06-12 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
Join the Blydyn Square Book Club as we discuss Erica Bauermeister’s novel No Two Persons.

Let's Discuss Ironweed
2025-08-14 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
Join the Blydyn Square Book Club as we discuss William Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Ironweed.

Virtual Book Launch for Author Carrie Birde
2025-09-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event
Join us to celebrate the release of author (and ECALL member) Carrie Birde’s debut novel, A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace.
Grace has always been a little bit unusual, but the people in her small town have learned to accept her. Things change when she wakes up one day suddenly able to talk to animals . . . and understand what they’re saying in return.
The townsfolk don’t know how to react. Sure, there are upsides: Farmers can communicate with their livestock. And the local veterinarian has a much better rapport with his “patients.”
But not everyone sees Grace’s new talent as a good thing—including her own parents, who wish everything could just go back to normal.
A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace is a fairy tale for our modern world, asking us to ponder the question: What if those who seem like they might be “witches” are the very same people who can save the world?
Carrie will be with us to talk about the book and take any questions.

Book Launch for A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace
2025-10-11 19:00 - 20:30 | Boonton Coffee Company, 602 Main St, Boonton, NJ, 07005, United States
Join us LIVE to celebrate the release of author Carrie Birde’s debut novel, A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace. Carrie will be on hand to give a reading and sign copies of the book. Hope to see you there!

About the book:
Grace has always been a little bit unusual, but the people in her small town have learned to accept her. Things change when she wakes up one day suddenly able to talk to animals . . . and understand what they’re saying in return.
The townsfolk don’t know how to react. Sure, there are upsides: Farmers can communicate with their livestock. And the local veterinarian has a much better rapport with his “patients.”
But not everyone sees Grace’s new talent as a good thing—including her own parents, who wish everything could just go back to normal.
A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace is a fairy tale for our modern world, asking us to ponder the question: What if those who seem like they might be “witches” are the very same people who can save the world?

Let's Discuss Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
2025-10-23 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
Join the Blydyn Square Book Club as we discuss Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.

2025 Reading Challenge
2025-12-31 17:00 - 23:59 | Blydyn Square Books, PO Box 412, Kenilworth, NJ, 07033, United States
Read 25 books for 2025! Use our list as a suggestion or just read ANY 25 books and you’ll be eligible to win our annual prize. (We’ll give you credit for completing the challenge as long as you read at least 10 books!) Just post your list of books on our Facebook page or email us to be entered in the drawing. Happy reading!

Let's Discuss Yellow Face
2026-01-08 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
Join the Blydyn Square Book Club as we discuss R. F. Kuang’s novel Yellow Face.

Virtual Book Launch for Brenda Barker's Next Chapter
2026-02-06 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event
Join us to celebrate the launch for author Wendy Tokunaga’s latest novel, Brenda Barker’s Next Chapter. It’s a celebration of second (and third!) chances, the power of believing in yourself—and finding your voice when it matters most. Wendy will be with us to answer questions and read from the book. Hope to see you there!
From the back cover:
At sixty-four, Brenda Barker’s life is anything but over—though someone should tell that to her butcher, who insists on calling her “ma’am” when the other customers are “miss.” With her husband gone, her only child moving to Japan, and a literary “expert” telling her she has no business trying to be a writer, Brenda does what any sensible woman would do: ignores the advice, packs her bags, and heads to a high-stakes writers’ conference in the California wine country.
Armed with a manuscript, a bottle of pinot noir, and a fierce determination to prove the world wrong, Brenda embarks on the adventure of a lifetime—complete with wine-fueled confidence, surprise friendships, and a few romantic sparks she definitely didn’t plan for.
Brenda Barker’s Next Chapter is a celebration of second (and third!) chances, the power of believing in yourself, and finding your voice when it matters most.

Let's Discuss Wuthering Heights
2026-03-26 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
CANCELED!
Sorry for the late notice, but we have to cancel this meeting. Stay tuned for details about the next one!
Join the Blydyn Square Book Club as we discuss the classic novel Wuthering Heights.

Virtual Launch Party for Lini S. Kadaba's Leftovers After Life
2026-05-29 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event
Join Blydyn Square Books as we celebrate the launch of Lini S. Kadaba’s debut novel, Leftovers After Life. Lini will be on hand to talk about the book and answer questions. Hope to see you there!

From the back cover:
When Neena’s mother utters her final word—“Bitch”—before slipping into silence forever, Neena is left reeling. The two had never had an easy relationship, but the venom of that parting shot shakes Neena to her core. Now, faced with the daunting task of cleaning out her parents’ condo, Neena begins to sift through boxes of belongings, each item stirring memories and long-buried tensions.
As she wades through dresses, documents, and dusty relics of her childhood in suburban Georgia, Neena is forced to confront not just her fractured bond with her mother and a disturbing family secret, but also the ways she’s repeating history in her marriage and her role as a mother.
Lyrical, layered, and unflinchingly honest, Leftovers After Life explores how we reckon with the past to reclaim the present. In uncovering what’s been packed away—physically and emotionally—Neena must decide what to keep, what to discard, and whether it’s ever really possible to make peace with the ones who raised us.

Let's Discuss The Flightless Birds of New Hope
2026-08-06 17:45 - 18:45 | Online Event
Join the Blydyn Square Book Club as we discuss author Farah Naz Rishi’s novel The Flightless Birds of New Hope. Hope to see your there!

Fourth Annual Cecils Day Celebration
2026-09-01 19:00 - 21:00 | The Belmar Pub and Grill, 95 Main St Binghamton, New York 13905, 95 Main St, Binghamton, NY, 13905, United States
Join author Everett De Morier and some of the staff of Blydyn Square Books in Binghamton, New York, as we celebrate the fourth annual “Thirty-three Cecils Day.”
There will be a book signing from 12 to 3 at the Barnes & Noble in Vestal, and a party at The Belmar Pub (7:00-9:00 PM).
This year, we’ll be awarding the first ever Cecils Award, recognizing a local resident whose quiet acts of kindness, generosity, resilience, or service have made a meaningful difference in the Greater Binghamton community.
If you know someone you would like to nominate in the Binghamton area, please use our nomination form.
Hope to see you on Cecils Day!
